National PTA Reflections Program Literature Rules

_____________________________________________________________________________________ Student Eligibility: Students must participate in the National PTA Reflections Program through a local PTA/PTSA in good standing. Parent groups not affiliated with National PTA are not eligible to sponsor this program. It is the responsibility of the state and local PTA/PTSA to determine each students eligibility in the National PTA Reflections Program. A student may develop an entry in or outside of school. Grade Divisions: Students may enter the National PTA Reflections Program in the appropriate division for their grade. The divisions are as follows: Primary: preschool grade 2; Intermediate: grades 3 5; Middle School: grades 6 8; High School: grades 9 12; Special Artist: ungraded Student Entry Process: Students enter the National PTA Reflections Program at local levels. Program dates, deadlines, and local procedures are determined at State and Local levels. Students are advised to check with local programs for information specific to local procedures and program deadlines. Upon completion of the local program, students whose winning entries are selected to move to the next level of the National PTA Reflections competition will complete an online entry process that will include an upload of their artwork. National PTA Reflections Theme: The Magic of a Moment The theme for the 2012 2013 National PTA Reflections Program The Magic of a Moment. Only new pieces of artwork inspired by the theme may be submitted. All entries must contain a Title. All entries must include an Artist Statement. The artist statement communicates what inspired the work and how it relates to the theme, and also describes the content of the work. The statement must include at least one sentence, but may not exceed 100 words. Originality: Each entry must be the original work of one student only. An adult may not alter the creative integrity of a students work. Because the program is designed to encourage and recognize each students individual creativity, help from an adult or collaboration with other students is not allowed. (Please see Special Artist Guidelines for exceptions.) Plagiarism is defined as taking and using another persons ideas, writings, or inventions as ones own. Plagiarized entries will be disqualified and returned to the student.

Literature Entry Description:

Literature entries may be a work of fiction or nonfiction. Prose, poetry, and drama are all accepted. The entry must

relate to the current National PTA Reflections Program theme. Whether an entry uses a variety of techniques or a simple approach, it will be judged primarily on how well the student uses his or her artistic vision to portray the theme. Presentation:

Entries must not exceed 2,000 words. Entries may be handwritten or typed. Illustrated entries, including books, with pictures drawn by the student are acceptable; however, only literary content is judged. Collections of poems or short stories are not accepted. Entries are to reflect grade-appropriate grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Dictation and Typing:

Students may have their entries typed by another person as long as the original work or a copy of the original work is attached. Transcribers should make every attempt to retain the same level of language and accuracy that is reflected in the students original work. Students in pre-school, kindergarten or 1st grade may dictate to another person who may print or type exact words as spoken by the student.

Translation: Students for whom English is not their first language may submit literature entries in their own language. An interpretive translation in English must accompany the entry. Translators should make every attempt to retain the same level of language and accuracy that is reflected in the students original work. Format: At the local level, an electronic version of literary entry may or may not be required, as determined by each local and state PTA. Please check local and state rules and guidelines for these requirements. Students whose literature entries are selected to move past the local level of the National PTA Reflections competition will complete an Online Student Entry process that will include uploading an electronic version of their literary entry.

Acceptable File Formats for typed Literature Documents: DOC, DOCX, PDF,PPT, PPTX Acceptable File Format for hand written Literature Documents: PDF Maximum Upload File Size: 1GB (one gigabyte)

Online Student Entry: Only those students whose entries are selected to move past the local level of the National PTA Reflections competition will complete an Online Student Entry process that will include uploading an electronic version of their entries. Browser Recommendations: The National PTA Reflections website can be accessed using any of the following browsers: Chrome 12 and greater, Firefox 3 and greater, Safari 4 and greater, Internet Explorer 6 and greater.

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Judging: All national entries are judged on Interpretation of the National PTA Reflections Theme, Artistic Merit, Creative Merit, and Technical Merit. The National PTA Reflections Program makes no restrictions on content or subject matter in artwork. Each PTA/PTSA determines its own judges for the program. Under no condition may parents or students contact the judges to dispute the status of any entry. All decisions of judges are final.

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Revised June 2011